John Fullerton was nearly duped out of $2,100 by a fake CRA agent this week.

In an effort to raise awareness during Fraud Prevention Month, the 59-year-old printer decided to share his story with the Toronto Sun.

Perpetrators of common frauds such as the current Canada Revenue Agency scam typically threaten unsuspecting victims — often the elderly who may be easily intimidated.

Here’s what Fullerton had to say:

What happened to you?

“Someone called my cellphone Monday morning and left a message telling me to call back right away because I owed money to Canada Revenue and that I should contact my lawyer.”

What did you do?

“I called the number back several times and a woman, who claimed her name was ‘Alanna Parker,’ finally answered. She told me I had been audited and accused me of defrauding the government. I told her I do owe money and I’ve already made arrangements with Canada Revenue to pay it, but she claimed this was something different and I owed money for making false claims on my taxes from 2009 to 2013.”

What made you believe the fraudster was from CRA?

“She told me the RCMP was involved … and threatened to seize my bank accounts, my car, my property and even claimed I could do jail time. She sounded convincing and it was very stressful.”

How much did the fraudster claim you owed?

“She initially claimed I owed $3,471, but then the amount dropped to $2,100.”

What did you do?

“The woman told me I had to make a person-to-person wire transfer to a CRA officer named Joaquin Reyes and she demanded I stay on the phone with her while I withdrew the money from the bank and made the payment.”

At what point did you realize it might be a scam?

“She told me to send the wire transfer to Seattle, Wash., which raised a red flag. Then just before I sent the wire transfer, I talked to a woman working at the post office who told me it sounds like a scam and warned me not to do it.”

What happened next?

“I went to my sister for help and she asked this person more questions, but the woman demanded she put me back on the phone. Then she became fairly ignorant toward my sister and told me to tell that woman to shut up. She also threatened me again saying RCMP officers would be coming to arrest me. I eventually just hung up.”

How do you feel after almost falling prey to this scam?

“I feel like an idiot now. But I’m glad I didn’t pay the money. I got lucky. I hope other people can learn from my experience.”

*****

It’s Fraud Prevention Month and police are urging people to “recognize, reject and report fraud,” particularly the emergency/grandparent and Canada Revenue Agency scams, which claimed a startling number of victims across Canada in 2015:

1,100 complaints were filed about the emergency/grandparent scam

474 victims fell prey to the emergency/grandparent scam

$2.5 million was bilked from victims of the emergency/grandparent scam

15,091 complaints were filed about the CRA scam

751 victims fell prey to the CRA scam

Nearly $2.5 million was bilked from victims of the CRA scam

95% of such scams go unreported, the OPP says

Emergency Scam:

The victim typically receives a frantic phone call from someone claiming to be a grandchild or loved one explaining they are involved in some sort of mishap, needing cash immediately for bail or to return home from a foreign country. The fraudster may also plead with the victim not to tell anyone, such as their mom and dad, because they don’t want to get in trouble.

CRA Scam:

Fraudsters extort money from victims by telephone, mail, text message or e-mail by claiming to be from the Canada Revenue Agency and requesting personal information such as a social insurance, credit card, bank account or passport number. These scammers will demand outstanding taxes be paid by a money service or pre-paid credit card. They may also insist personal information is needed so the victim can receive a refund. Such fraudsters may also threaten or use coercive language to scare victims into paying fictitious debt to the CRA.

*****

OPP says these are some warning signs of a possible fraud:

Urgency — The scammer always makes the request sound very urgent, which may cause the victim to not verify the story.

Fear — The scammer plays on a victim’s emotions by generating a sense of fear. For instance, they may say: “I am scared and I need help from you.”

Secrecy — The scammer pleads with the victim not to tell anyone about the situation, such as, “Please don’t tell dad or mom, they would be so mad.”

Request for Money Transfer — Money is usually requested to be sent by a money transfer company such as Money Gram, Western Union or even through your own bank institution.

“Criminals rely on your natural urges to want to act quickly to help your loved ones in an emergency or respond to a well-respected government agency. Those urges need to be balanced with skepticism and common sense. Check the person’s identity and their story. And never send money to anyone you don’t know and trust,” says OPP Det.-Insp. Mike Bickerton, director of Anti-Rackets Branch

Victims of the Canada Revenue Agency scam should contact their local police service or file a complaint to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, the Competition Bureau of Canada or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS).

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